Cold puts freeze on bridge work

LaSalle project completion date now uncertain.

LaSalle project completion date now uncertain.

December 21, 2005|JAMES WENSITS Tribune Political Writer

SOUTH BEND -- As the current cold spell tightened its grip Tuesday, hope that the LaSalle bridge project could be completed before Christmas dropped faster than the mercury in area thermometers. "There's no way it will be open by Christmas," St. Joseph County Engineer Susan Al-Abbas said. There was no visible construction activity on the bridge Tuesday and Al-Abbas said the contractor, LaPorte Construction Co., is going day-by-day because of the cold. The contractor also is being assessed $2,000 a day in liquidated damages for each day since Dec. 7 the bridge remains unfinished, according to the engineer. A call to the contractor's LaPorte office was not returned Tuesday afternoon. Al-Abbas said there may be some allowances when the damages are totaled, but said any change is up to the Indiana Department of Transportation. The bridge, which has been under construction since May, was originally contracted to be open to traffic by mid-November. Al-Abbas said near the end of November that she anticipated the granting of an extension because of an earlier delay by InDOT in issuing a formal notice to proceed on the project. It was at that point that the engineer said the new goal was to get the project completed by the week before Christmas. According to Al-Abbas, construction work still needing to be done is subject to temperature restrictions. One of those jobs involves installing fill material and compacting it. The restriction, Al-Abbas said, is that the fill cannot be frozen or contain frost because, if it does, it won't compact properly. Such material is hard to find during cold weather, she said. Another job that must be completed before the bridge can be opened is the installation of approaches on either side of the bridge. Construction plans call for the bridge deck to be concrete, with asphalt approaches. Asphalt is no longer available locally, according to Al-Abbas, because the area plants that make asphalt have been shut down for the season.Staff writer James Wensits: jwensits@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6353